This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between blood levels of Ca, Zn, Mg, K, and Na and the occurrence of retained placenta and abortion in cows. Serum samples from 34 cows were analyzed (18 with retained placenta, 10 without retained placenta (control), and 6 that had aborted). Ca and Zn levels in cows with retained placenta were significantly lower than those in the control group. The serum Zn levels of aborted cows were higher (P < 0.001) than those of cows with retained placenta. Cows in the control group and those with retained placenta were divided into subgroups based on age (3, 4-6, 7-9 years old), type of parturition (normal, dystocia), and sex of calves (male, female). The serum Ca concentration of 3-year-old cows with retained placenta was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of those 7-9 years old. It is concluded that lower serum Ca and Zn levels in cows may induce placenta retention.


Fatalities resulting from cave-in hazards during excavation work in the United States account for 48% of the trench fatalities in construction every year per Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data. Recent trends indicate that fatalities from trench and excavation hazards in the US are increasing. Often the experience of safety inspectors and/or the designated competent person (CP) for trenching and excavation is vital when assessing sloping measurements with approved engineering survey tools. The degree of accidents, however, allows the conclusion that proper assessment and/or protection of excavation sites is not performed sufficiently in the field, or safety coordinators and/or adequately trained CPs are not on hand when needed. While existing assessment processes and protection methods are reviewed for potential improvement, this paper proposes a new compliance assistance prototype that incorporates state-of-the-art technology. The proposed prototype creates: (1) mobile field data acquisition with lowcost photo cameras to capture point cloud surveys of the as-built conditions of trenches, and (2) computational data processing to automatically extract trench height, width, and slope values. Early results to field-realistic experiments promise useful applications of the developed prototype for safety coordinators or adequately trained CPs.


Antibody libraries are important resources to derive antibodies to be used for a wide range of applications, from structural and functional studies to intracellular protein interference studies to developing new diagnostics and therapeutics. Whatever the goal, the key parameter for an antibody library is its diversity, i.e. the number of distinct elements in the collection, which directly reflects the probability of finding in the library an antibody against a given antigen, of sufficiently high affinity. Quantitative evaluation of antibody library diversity and quality has been for a long time inadequately addressed, due to the high similarity and length of the sequences of the library. Diversity was usually inferred by the transformation efficiency and tested either by fingerprinting and/or sequencing of a few hundred random library elements. Inferring diversity from such a small sample is, however, very rudimental and gives limited information about the real complexity, because complexity does not scale linearly with sample size. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has opened new ways to tackle the antibody library diversity quality assessment. However, much remains to be done to fully exploit the potential of NGS for the quantitative analysis of antibody repertoires and to overcome current limitations. To obtain a more reliable antibody library complexity estimate here we show a new, PCR-free, NGS approach to sequence antibody libraries on Illumina platform, coupled to a new bioinformatic analysis and software (Diversity Estimator of Antibody Library, DEAL) that allows to reliably estimate the diversity, taking in consideration the sequencing error.


Acclaimed authors and music historians Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have spent years traveling across the world to interview the revolutionary and outrageous DJs who shaped the last half-century of pop music. "The Record Players" is the fun and revealing resulta collection of firsthand accounts from the obsessives, the playboys, and the eccentrics that dominated the music scene and contributed to the evolution of DJ culture. It started when, instead of a live band, someone turned on the record player, and suddenly partygoers had more than one style of music to dance to. In the sixties, radio tastemakers brought their sound to the masses, sock hop by sock hop, while early trendsetters birthed the role of the club DJ at temples of hip like the Peppermint Lounge. By the seventies, DJs were dictating musical taste and changing the course of popular music; and in the eighties, young innovators wore out their cross-faders developing techniques that carried them over the line between record player and musician. With discographies, favorite songs, and amazing photos of all the DJs as young firebrands, "The Record Players" offers an unparalleled music education: from records to synthesizers, from disco to techno, and from small groups of influential music lovers to arenas packed with thousands of dancing fans. A history told by the visionaries who experienced the movement, "The Record Players" allows a rare glimpse into the sound, culture, and craft that developed into a worldwide industry."


Few wartime cities in Virginia held more importance than Petersburg. Nonetheless, the city has, until now, lacked an adequate military history, let alone a history of the civilian home front. The noted Civil War historian, A. Wilson Greene now provides an expertly researched, eloquently written study of the city that was second only to Richmond in size and strategic significance. Industrial, commercial, and extremely prosperous, Petersburg was also home to a large African American community, including the state's highest percentage of free blacks. On the eve of the Civil War, the city elected a conservative, pro-Union approach to the sectional crisis. Little more than a month before Virginia's secession did Petersburg finally express pro-Confederate sentiments, at which point the city threw itself wholeheartedly into the effort, with large numbers of both white and black men serving. Over the next four years, Petersburg's citizens watched their once-beautiful city become first a conduit for transient soldiers from the Deep South, then an armed camp, and finally the focus of one of the Civil War's most protracted and damaging campaigns. (The fall of Richmond and collapse of the Confederate war effort in Virginia followed close on Grant's ultimate success in Petersburg.) At war's end, Petersburg's antebellum prosperity evaporated under pressures from inflation, chronic shortages, and the extensive damage done by Union artillery shells. Greene's book tracks both Petersburg's civilian experience and the city's place in Confederate military strategy and administration. Employing scores of unpublished sources, the book weaves a uniquely personal story of thousands of citizen - free blacks, slaves and their holders, factory owners, merchants - all of whom shared a singular experience in Civil War Virginia.


Structural models of glutamate receptors have been produced as part of a multidisciplinary study of neuronal function—both ligand/receptor interactions and ion transport—at the atomic level. The models have concentrated on the agonist binding and transmembrane domains of ionotropic (i.e. ligand-gated) glutamate receptors (iGluRs), and have aided our understanding of the molecular determinants of (1) ligand binding and (2) channel activity. The model building process involved a combination of homology modelling, distance geometry, molecular mechanics, protein–ligand and protein–protein docking, electrostatic calculations and manual adjustment, in conjunction with restraints from site-directed mutagenesis, ligand binding and electrophysiological studies. The initial models were used to produce hypotheses which were tested experimentally; these models have been subsequently refined as part of an extremely effective multidisciplinary study using an iterative molecular modelling/experimental verification cycle in which restraints derived from experimental studies are used at all stages, and the findings from one round of modelling are used as restraints in the next. By studying a variety of agonists and antagonists, details have been built up of (1) those residues involved in ligand binding and (2) the role of agonist binding (i.e. agonist-induced conformational change) in channel gating. The models also aid our understanding of the conductance properties of the channels.


Author(s): Gundogdu, Mahmut | Advisor(s): Swanson, Lee H; Palardy, Gregory J | Abstract: This study examines how gains in mathematics achievement are related to executive processing functions and student sociodemographic characteristics across schools' national representative longitudinal sample of children in kindergarten (K) followed through grade four in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2010. Mathematics trajectories were nonlinear, with greater gains in early versus later grades and small drops each summer. Children entering K with lower math demonstrated steeper gains over time. Relative to Caucasian children, Hispanic and African American children entered K with lower math. Hispanic children had higher growth rates whereas African American children had lower growth rates. Girls entered K with higher math, but boys gained more over time. Lower SES was associated with lower math but also steeper increases. Demographic factors explained a larger proportion of between-school differences in mathematics achievement than within-school differences in initial levels and long-term gains but not summer drops (66.23% versus 8.11% of variance at K; 17.02% versus 4.55% of variance in gains; 20% versus 0% of variance in summer drops). Similarly, shaped trajectories and demographic effects were found for working memory, while the cognitive flexibility trajectory (measured only from 2nd grade) was a more linear. Critically, just as lower math scores in K were associated with steeper growth, lower working memory in K was also associated with steeper trajectories. In addition, positive associations were observed between working memory and math in K, trajectories of working memory and cognitive flexibility were strongly associated with trajectories of mathematics achievement. A similar pattern was observed for cognitive flexibility. These inclusions of demographic covariates did not alter these associations. Overall, these findings bolster the independent importance of executive function and sociodemographic factors, with the latter explaining a large amount of between-school variability. Education stakeholders such as teachers, school administrations, and school district can rely on the research findings in designing practical models of teaching mathematics that will take into consideration the role of sociodemographic factors as well as executive functioning among students, thereby improving their overall performance.


The use of materials based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as alternatives to petroleum-based
polymers for a range of applications has increased in recent years. In the case of food packaging
in particular, PLA has experienced growth in combination with the use of a wide range of other
materials and/or additives derived from natural and renewable resources. However, the initial
costs associated with new technologies to produce PLA and/or other bio-based polymers are
typically high, so new techniques are required to reduce costs without compromising material
properties and biodegradability. Naturally sourced lignocellulose fibres such as kenaf
(Hibiscus cannabinus L.) are often used as cost-reducing fillers and/or reinforcing agent for
biopolymers such as PLA. This study explores the characteristics and antimicrobial (AM) activity of PLA and PLA/kenaf
composites incorporated with thymol, a natural bio-active AM substance/agent. The production
of PLA/kenaf composites containing thymol is intended for potential use in AM packaging
applications such as rigid and/or flexible packaging and coatings. Composites of PLA
incorporated with 5 to 40% w/w kenaf fibre loadings and thymol concentrations ranging from
5 to 30% w/w were prepared and compared with control systems containing either no kenaf or
no thymol. Kenaf fibres can be treated by alkalisation to improve compatibility with polymer
matrices. It was found that the PLA/kenaf composites containing treated kenaf possessed
significantly higher tensile strength and stiffness than composites prepared with untreated
kenaf. Micrograph images of the fracture surface revealed better adhesion between the treated
kenaf fibres and the matrix, thereby resulting in improved reinforcement of the composite.
Moreover, PLA/kenaf composites containing thymol exhibited lower tensile strength than
those without thymol, suggesting a possible plasticizing effect in the presence of the additive.


Two and a half years into the Duterte administration, the country is facing high inflation rates, weak political institutions, and political uncertainty. While there are efforts toward political reform as well as peaceful settlement of conflicts, the country remains divided, with no clear strategy for reforms or nation-building being offered.


Using two different crossed-beams high-resolution electron attachment instruments (employing either a trochoidal electron monochromator or a hemispherical electron monochromator) we have determined the cross section curve for H- production from H2 via the 4 eV resonance at two different temperatures. These relative partial cross sections have been calibrated by comparing present values for the 14 eV resonance with absolute total cross sections determined previously. Taking into account the experimental energy distribution and the rotational excitation and its influence on the cross section shape we obtain very good agreement with theoretical predictions in terms of both the shape and magnitude of this resonance peak.


Learning mechanism based on character building is structured in inter-effecting three phases of learning; planning, engagement and evaluation. Lesson plan based on character development comprised of various aspects related with the educational system elected by particular school/madrasah. Therefore, Lesson plan based on character building is employed in all school subjects. There is an interconnection among the school subjects in passing down the values that brings of character education perpetually. It shall not be halted by employment at specific classes. As necessary, school/madrasah may develop the values of character building as pasrt of formal curriculum.


Abstract The subject of the article is reconstructing the routes of postal roads within the borders of the Lublin Voivodeship in the second half of the 18th century. The author has attempted to reconstruct the routes of postal roads, using the retrogression method and a cartographic research method with the use of GIS tools. For this purpose, manuscript cartographic and descriptive sources from the late 18th and 19th centuries were used. Cartographic material from the end of the 18th century in connection with descriptive sources constituted the basis for determining the existence of a postal connection. However, maps from the beginning of the 19th century constituted the basis for the reconstruction of the routes of postal roads. The obtained results allowed for the determination of the role of the Lublin Voivodeship in the old Polish communication system. The research has made us aware of the need for further in-depth work on communication in the pre--partition era (before 1795).


Background Drug-related adverse events remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality and impose huge burden on healthcare costs. Routinely collected electronic healthcare data give a good snapshot of how drugs are being used in 'real-world' settings. Objective To describe a strategy that identifies potentially drug-induced acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from a large international healthcare data network. Methods Post-marketing safety surveillance was conducted in seven population-based healthcare databases in three countries (Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands) using anonymised demographic, clinical, and prescription/dispensing data representing 21,171,291 individuals with 154,474,063 person-years of follow-up in the period 1996–2010. Primary care physicians' medical records and administrative claims containing reimbursements for filled prescriptions, laboratory tests, and hospitalisations were evaluated using a three-tier triage system of detection, filtering, and substantiation that generated a list of drugs potentially associated with AMI. Outcome of interest was statistically significant increased risk of AMI during drug exposure that has not been previously described in current literature and is biologically plausible. Results Overall, 163 drugs were identified to be associated with increased risk of AMI during preliminary screening. Of these, 124 drugs were eliminated after adjustment for possible bias and confounding. With subsequent application of criteria for novelty and biological plausibility, association with AMI remained for nine drugs ('prime suspects'): azithromycin; erythromycin; roxithromycin; metoclopramide; cisapride; domperidone; betamethasone; fluconazole; and megestrol acetate. Limitations Although global health status, co-morbidities, and time-invariant factors were adjusted for, residual confounding cannot be ruled out. Conclusion A strategy to identify potentially drug-induced AMI from electronic healthcare data has been proposed that takes into account not only statistical association, but also public health relevance, novelty, and biological plausibility. Although this strategy needs to be further evaluated using other healthcare data sources, the list of 'prime suspects' makes a good starting point for further clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic investigation.


Aim of review: To overview the new studies on food addiction and highlighting the analogies and differences between food and drug addiction.

RESULTS
Recent studies on food addiction have demonstrated that the neurobiological circuits involved in the development of drug addiction also play a role in food consumption, and that the uptake of nutrients by the organism is under the control of numerous complicated peripheral and central signal-transducing networks. In addition, it has also been shown that addiction and/or craving may develop toward certain foods and nutrients, too. The most recent investigations about the neurobiological systems motivating the obtaining behavior have suggested that the acquired drive toward energy rich, rewarding food contributes to the appearance of obesity as an endemic.

SUMMARY
This report presents the definition of substance use disorders and describes the results of the neurobiological approaches in the study of addiction supporting the concept that food addiction is a real phenomenon. The subsequent description of the central and peripheral signaling pathways of food consumption demonstrates that while both food (nutrients) and drugs with abuse potential exert their effect on the same central neurobiological networks, the action of the peripheral signaling systems make it more difficult to understand the regulation of food intake and thus the treatment of pathological eating behavior. The presentation of the evidences of food addiction obtained in animal experiments and with imaging methods and the subsequent overview of the results achieved in the surveys of pathologic eating patterns and in the new clinical and behavioral assessment of human food addiction point to the conclusion that the pharmacological and behavioral therapy methods applied to the treatment of substance abuse disorders may also prove useful in the management of obesity.


MOTIVATION
microRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by inhibiting target mRNA genes. Their tissue- and disease-specific expression patterns have immense therapeutic and diagnostic potential. To understand these patterns, a reliable compilation of miRNA and mRNA expression data is required to compare multiple tissue types. Moreover, with the appropriate statistical tools, such a resource could be interrogated to discover functionally related miRNA-mRNA pairs.

RESULTS
We have developed mimiRNA, an online resource that integrates expression data from 1483 samples and permits visualization of the expression of 635 human miRNAs across 188 different tissues or cell types. mimiRNA incorporates a novel sample classification algorithm, ExParser, that groups identical miRNA or mRNA experiments from separate sources. This enables mimiRNA to provide reliable expression profiles and to discover functional relations between miRNAs and mRNAs such as miRNA targets. Additionally, mimiRNA incorporates a decision tree algorithm to discover distinguishing miRNA features between two tissue or cell types. We validate the efficacy of our resource on independent experimental data and through biologically relevant analyses.

AVAILABILITY
http://mimirna.centenary.org.au.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Cyclicity has long been a characteristic of urban land and property markets. In some periods, especially in times of macro-economic stability, it is subdued and readily manageable, and in other periods it is exceptional in terms of its amplitude, periodicity and overall economic impacts. In the post-1980 period, however, not only have some cycles been exceptional in the above sense, they have also been exceptional in the sense that their causes and consequences are internationally transmitted. Accordingly, the post 1980 exceptional cyclicities merit theoretical and situational explanation. The purpose of this article is to explain the exceptional cycles occurring since 1980 from a theoretical point of view, focusing mainly on the situation in Japan where the impacts have been most significant and extreme. Copyright Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999.


Accurate acquisition for customer's requirements is the base and key in product configuration design. However, original customer's requirements must be decomposed in order to comprehend truly and apply them to guide product configuration design, because they are usually some fuzzy, general even contradictory customized demands. In the paper, two concepts are introduced for customer's requirement decomposition. One is the requirement element, and the other is the granularity of requirement element. Moreover, the controlling principle for granularity of requirement element is given and the method of requirement decomposition is proposed. This method means semantic segmentation, semantic translation, supplement or subdivision of human-machine-environment and semantic combination. Customer's abstract demands could be effectively decomposed into some specific requirement elements according to the proposed method of requirement decomposition as well as by controlling the granularity of requirement element reasonably. Finally, the customized design of a money-binding machine is taken as an example to validate the effectivity of proposed method.


The Sustainable Grazing Systems (SGS) National Experiment (NE) Pasture Theme explored factors that influenced annual herbage accumulation and perennial grass and legume content across the NE sites, in the high rainfall zone (HRZ, >600 mm/year annual rainfall) of southern Australia using multi-variate analysis and the SGS Pasture Model. Annual rainfall was a poor predictor of annual herbage accumulation. The length of growing season accounted for 30% of the variation in annual herbage accumulation. Much of the remaining 70% of variation in annual herbage accumulation was explained by soil Olsen P, the proportion of native species in the pasture and stocking rate, together with interactions among other factors including legume content. Simulated effects of set stocking and rotational grazing on herbage accumulation using the SGS Pasture Model, predicted that rotational grazing was unlikely to result in large increases in herbage accumulation. In contrast, it was predicted that the adoption of deep-rooted C3 and C4 perennial grasses could provide useful increases in herbage accumulation. Perennial grass content and basal cover were both significantly influenced by growing season length (P<0.001), grazing method (P<0.001) and an interaction between stocking rate and soil pH (P = 0.002). These analyses suggested that to maintain or improve the perennial grass component of a pasture at medium–high stocking rates, it was crucial to adopt grazing strategies that included rotation or resting. Perennial grass percent also significantly (P<0.001) increased in response to ameliorating the soil pH. Legume content of pastures significantly (P<0.001) increased in response to set stocking and increased stocking rate. To be botanically stable and productive, sown pastures based on perennial grasses in the HRZ of southern Australia will need to be grazed at high stocking rates (15–23 DSE/ha) in combination with rotational grazing or resting, and with adequate soil P. Additional gains in production and stability could be obtained by ensuring an adequate legume component, including a C4 perennial grass and ameliorating soil acidity. Pastures based on native perennial grasses may require lower soil P and more conservative stocking rates, depending on species.


Sperm of patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP) was studied to assess the state of the axoneme in this genetic subtype. Semen samples were collected from eight patients with X-linked RP and compared with a database of 31 controls. Semen was also collected from two patients with other retinal degenerations (choroideremia and fundus flavimaculatus) and patients with simplex RP. All controls and patients were studied under a masked protocol. There was a significant increase in the percentage of abnormal sperm tails at both the light and electron microscopic levels in patients with X-linked RP only. Thus, X-linked RP is associated with an alteration in sperm axoneme structure. Sperm cell analysis may serve as a useful model system for additional investigations into the pathogenesis of this disease.


In this work, design of damping controller for Power System based on state observer is studied. The linearized state equation model of multi-machine power system is built, which includes four-order generator model and three-order excitation model. The power system damping characteristic is improved using feedback control based on the states that are estimated by full-order and reduced-order observer. The simulation results using a four-machine two-area system is utilized to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Twenty isolates resembling viridans streptococci, 16 from blood and four from gastric aspirates, from 17 cases of early onset neonatal sepsis were identified by the API20 Strep, Rapid ID 32 Strep and conventional tests plus hydrolysis of methylumbelliferyl glycoside substrates. Nineteen of the isolates were identified as species of viridans streptococci and one as a Leuconostoc sp. Ten of the isolates were Streptococcus oralis, three S. mitis biotype 1, two S. mitis biotype 2 and one each of S. sanguis, S. vestibularis, S. salivarius and S. intermedius. The Rapid ID 32 Strep and conventional plus methylumbelliferyl tests gave the same species identity for 17 of the isolates. S. intermedius was identified by the Rapid ID 32 Strep as S. constellatus and S. salivarius as S. equinus, with S. salivarius at lower probability. The API20 Strep failed to identify S. vestibularis and identified S. salivarius as S. defectivus. The absence of certain critical tests, including urea hydrolysis, does not allow the API20 Strep to identify all the currently recognised species of viridans steptococci. The species distribution was unexpected and the incidence of S. oralis and other viridans streptococci in vaginal swabs from prenatal patients is being investigated further.


Background: The most common injury associated with blunt thoracic trauma is the rib fracture. Outpatients, who had a minor blunt trauma that did not form any complications, present more than half of the rib fractures. Unfortunately, there are several limitations on the chest x-ray. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of rib fractures resulting from blunt thoracic trauma. Materials and Methods: Fifty-eight patients who were admitted to the Thoracic Surgery Outpatient Clinic in our center due to minor thoracic trauma between October 2017 and July 2018 were included in the study. All patients underwent chest radiography, and thorax US after a detailed history and physical examination were performed. Results: Of the 58 patients included in the study, 33 (56.9%) were male, and 25 (43.1%) were female, while the mean age was 46.79 ± 15.75 years. While the rib fractures were detected in 24 patients with chest x-ray, US detected rib fractures in 47 patients. The comparison between the two examinations, the superiority of the US in the diagnosis of rib fracture was statistically significant compared to the chest radiography (p < 0,001). Conclusions: We believe that preferring ultrasound instead of thorax CT for its less radiation and lower cost at the next step beyond chest x-ray for patients, who applied to the outpatient clinic with minor trauma and whose general condition is well, is more beneficial.


The effects of film thickness, electrode size and substrate thickness on the impedance parameters of alternating frequency dielectric measurements of insulating thin films deposited on conductive substrates were studied through parametric finite-element simulations. The quasi-static forms of Maxwell's electromagnetic equations in a time harmonic mode were solved using COMSOL Multiphysics® for several types of 2D models (linear and axisymmetric). The full 2D model deals with a configuration in which the impedance is measured between two surface electrodes on top of a film deposited on a conductive substrate. For the simplified 2D models, the conductive substrate is ignored and the two electrodes are placed on the top and bottom of the film. By comparing the full model and the simplified models, approximations and generalizations are deduced. For highly insulating films, such as the case of insulating SiO2 films on a conducting Si substrate, even the simplified models predict accurate capacitance values at all frequencies. However, the edge effects on the capacitance are found to be significant when the film thickness increases and/or the top electrode contact size decreases. The thickness of the substrate affects predominantly the resistive components of the dielectric response while having no significant effect on the capacitive components. Changing the electrode contact size or the film thickness determines the specific values of the measured resistance or capacitance while the material time constant remains the same, and thus this affects the frequency dependence that is able to be detected. This work highlights the importance of keeping in mind the film thickness and electrode contact size for the correct interpretation of the measured dielectric properties of micro/nanoscale structures that are often investigated using nanoscale capacitance measurements.


Detailed results of the parametric behavior of the prominent seven visible transitions in a pulsed Xe IV laser are reported. The various laser parameters considered are gas pressure, excitation voltage, energy storage capacitor, and the diameter and length of the plasma tube. Based on our results we believe that lasing is favored in larger bore tubes as wall collisions play a significant role in quenching the laser action.


This essay examines some of the ways in which ancient novelists exploit and dramatise the polypragmosyne and curiosity of their characters, thus also suggesting a link between such curiosity and the practice of reading novels itself. The principal texts considered are the  Life of Aesop , in which the search for a man completely without curiosity is an important episode, the Satyrica of Petronius in which 'curiosity' runs riot at Trimalchio's dinner-party, and Apuleius' Metamorphoses , where the central character suffers for his curiosity and the whole novel advertises the  polypragmosyne of the literary interpreter. The investigation is set within the context of Plutarch's essay 'On  polypragmosyne '. Richard Hunter is Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity College. His research interests include ancient comedy, the novel, Hellenistic poetry and its reception in Rome, and ancient literary criticism. His most recent books are  The Shadow of Callimachus (Cambridge 2006) and  Critical Moments in Classical Literature (Cambridge 2009). Many of his essays have been collected in  On Coming After: Studies in Post-Classical Greek Literature and its Reception (Berlin 2008).


A major concern to all museums' managers is to properly conserve the artwork in museums and, for that to be achieved, it is fundamental to monitor the museum's environment. Therefore, it is critical to continuously measure some environmental parameters, such as temperature, relative humidity, light and, also, pollutants, either in storage or exhibition rooms. The deployment of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) in a museum can help implementing these measurements continuously, in a real-time basis, and in a much easier and cheaper way than traditional procedures. In this paper, we describe an experimental testbed deployed in a contemporary art museum that is located in Madeira Island, in Portugal, and it reveals the preliminary results of these experiments. For this purpose, we have developed a new wireless sensor node that brings some advantages when compared with other commercially available solutions. This work is being developed in the context of the ongoing project on museum environmental and structural monitoring using WSNs, the WISE- MUSE project.


The area of Capo Feto represents one of the few remaining salt-marshy zones in Sicily. It lies within a site of importance for the Community (defined as a "sito di importanza comunitaria" (SIC)), which also includes Margi Spanò and Margi Milo. The Capo Feto and Margi Spanò marshlands have also been identified by the Ministry for the Environment as an area deserving special protection ("zona a protezione speciale" (ZPS)). Moreover, in 1999, 150 ha of the Capo Feto area were included in a project for environmental rehabilitation as part of the European Union "Life-Nature 2000" programme (Comitato Tecnico-Scientifico Area di Capo Feto, 1997). Prior to this, the area had become somewhat degraded due to numerous natural and man-made changes that had profoundly modified and badly affected the environment over the previous decades. The aim of the present study was to define the main morphological and environmental changes that have occurred in the Capo Feto area over the last 150 years and to characterize the natural and anthropogenic factors that caused them (Perego, 1988). By means of surveys of the area, a comparative study of existing maps and an interpretation of a digital colour orthophotograph of 1998, this work was developed in a GIS environment and describes the Capo Feto environment and how it has changed with time, focusing particularly on variations in the shoreline and the marshy area (Zecchi et al., 2001).


ECOLOGY
Kelp forests are exceptionally productive marine ecosystems, iconic of high-latitude, shallow, cold waters. There are a few rare records of tropical deep-water species, but these are thought to be relicts of glacial-era populations. Graham et al. suggest that kelp may not be as restricted in distribution as once thought. By modeling the coincidence of the water temperature, bottom depth, and light penetration with nutrient circulation, they derive a map of potential tropical kelp beds, a rough contour of 25 to 236 m. A quick look offshore of the Galapagos Islands indeed revealed kelp at around 60 m depth. The authors also predict extensive kelp forests off Brazil, West Africa, and the Malay Archipelago. Essentially, wherever clear tropical water allows light to penetrate into cooler depths and bathymetries allow nutrient upwelling, kelp should survive in the tropics. Hence, even in strong El Nino years, tropical kelp can escape surface warming. — CA

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104 , 10.1073/pnas.0704778104 (2007).


Abstract:This article examines the overlooked Council of Carthage of 525 to show how its convener, Bishop Boniface of Carthage, used the council in an attempt to re-establish power over North Africa's Nicene bishops, who lacked clear lines of authority due to Vandal Homoian rule. This article reconstructs the council's dramatic, complicated, and highly orchestrated two days of discussion. The bishops spent day one re-stating Boniface's basis of authority and assembling earlier canons into precedents to confirm his power. On day two, the bishops heard a complex jurisdictional case involving a certain Abbot Peter and his monastery, which Boniface used to confirm the power the council had granted him. When this council is discussed, Abbot Peter's case is stripped from its context as a simple precedent for medieval privileges and immunities. I demonstrate how Merovingian Gallic bishops made the council into a precedent by ignoring Boniface's goals. Notably, the article illustrates how a North African late antique bishop's attempt to expand his power outside of state support became an ideal way for early medieval Gallic bishops to claim continuity with the past that actually created a break in their present.


SMOS validation in the Skjern River Catchment, Denmark Soil moisture is a key variable for water resources management, weather and climate predictions as well as hazard analysis. It is highly variable in space and time across scales, and thus difficult to assess. The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite with a passive L-band microwave radiometer on board is the first mission dedicated to surface soil moisture monitoring from space with global coverage every three days. By means of a complex retrieval algorithm, soil moisture is derived from the acquired brightness temperatures. Currently, data validation is performed across a range of climatic regions. In this context, the overall objective of this dissertation is SMOS validation in the Skjern River Catchment in Denmark, including the acquisition of the required in situ data, and its comparison with the SMOS products. Data collection included a short-term airborne campaign with the L-band radiometer EMIRAD-2 and in situ measurements, as well as the establishment of a soil moisture and temperature network. To a priori increase the probability of a representative network average at SMOS scale (∼40-50 km), a method based on analysis of the prevailing environmental conditions was developed and successfully applied. In addition to retrieved soil moisture, validation also involved SMOS brightness temperature data and the most sensitive parameters of the retrieval algorithm. Using two complementary data sets allowed for comprehensive analysis over spatial and temporal scales. While the campaign data set of high spatial coverage and density proved of value for site-specific determination of important algorithm parameters, the long-term network record enables the assessment of temporal trends. Consistent with worldwide findings, results show that SMOS well captures the temporal soil moisture dynamics in the Skjern River Catchment. However, the retrieved soil moisture shows a constant dry-bias and exhibits a stronger precipitation response compared to the in situ measurements. In addition to the broadly discussed Radio Frequency Interferences (RFI) and a mismatch in sampling depth between in situ sensors and L-band emission depth, several inaccuracies in the algorithm could be located as most likely error sources at the Danish site. This includes the vegetation optical depth and surface roughness parameters, soil properties and the Dobson dielectric mixing model. This dissertation is not only a valuable contribution to SMOS validation, but can also be supportive for upcoming space missions such as NASA's Soil Moisture Active and Passive, SMAP. Knowing the current caveats the use of SMOS data in regional and global modeling of water resources and climate can be initiated. Future work in the Skjern River Catchment will focus on the disclosed error sources, as well as the influence of organic layers by means of not yet explored campaign data.


GABAergic inhibition synchronizes oscillatory activity in the thalamocortical system. To understand better the role of this neurotransmitter in generation of thalamocortical rhythmicity, the postnatal development of GABAergic function mediated through activation of GABAA receptors was studied in thalamus and cortex. GABA-evoked chloride currents were recorded in dissociated rat cortical and thalamic neurons during postnatal development. Kinetic fits of GABA concentration/response relationships revealed developmental and regional alterations in the potency of GABA. Early in postnatal development (p5-p8), both thalamic and cortical neurons exhibited reduced potency of GABA (27–31 microM KD). Potency increased by p18-p25 in thalamic and cortical neurons (19–22 microM KD), to a level maintained in adult thalamic neurons. Adult cortical neurons exhibited reduced potency of GABA (40 microM KD). Benzodiazepine modulation of GABAA currents was also studied. Kinetic analyses of benzodiazepine augmentation of GABAA currents were best fitted assuming two effective sites with different affinities for clonazepam. The high-affinity site (KD of 0.05–0.27 nM) showed little variation with development in cortical neurons, contributing about 16–23% potentiation at all postnatal ages. Developing thalamic neurons (p5-p25) showed similar potency and efficacy of the high-affinity benzodiazepine site to cortical neurons. High-affinity benzodiazepine effects disappeared in adult thalamic neurons. A lower-affinity benzodiazepine site (25–50 nM KD) was greater in efficacy in cortical neurons compared to thalamic neurons at all ages, with efficacy ranging from 50% to 110% in cortex and from 20% to 60% in thalamus. Knowledge of developmental and regional alterations in GABAA receptor function may aid in understanding mechanisms involved in generation and control of normal and pathological thalamocortical rhythms.


Purpose
This study aims to investigate the decision-making processes of international retirement migrants. The development of a place in response to the high demand for international retirement migration has become an important strategy for stakeholders within host destinations; of particular interest is international retirement migrant behaviour and intention to stay and retire in a foreign country.

Design/methodology/approach
This research presents the results of a qualitative study using face-to-face interview techniques. Content analysis technique was used to analyse data from interviews with 33 international retirees in Thailand.

Findings
Destination stakeholders must consider creating awareness of the destination through WOM, trustworthy websites and government channels, which migrants evaluate a destination based on pre-retirement visits that create attachment and emotional feelings for the place, and finally, the decision-making processes of short stay, semi-permanent and permanent migrants.

Research limitations/implications
This qualitative study investigated migrants from Europe, Australia and the USA. An understanding of IR migrants from Asia needs further research.

Practical implications
The results can be used as guidelines for government, hospitality and tourism stakeholders. IR migrants want different destination attributes to mainstream tourists, especially a peaceful environment, mild weather (not too cold or hot), and to live among locals.

Originality/value
This study examines migrant decision-making processes. The results provide a theoretical foundation for how IR migrants decide to retire overseas. This comprises three components: destination awareness, secondly, evaluation of the destination's resources, and finally, the decision and implementation of their plans.


We studied the rate at which insulin dissociates from adipocytes and the ability of these cells to degrade insulin as a function of the length of exposure to the hormone. As the length of the association phase increases, the overall rate of insulin dissociation decreases. After 6 min of association at 24°C, the t1/2 of dissociation is 8 min and after 90 min of association the t1/2 of dissociation is 32 min. This time-dependent slowing of dissociation is progressive until steady-state binding conditions are reached during the association phase; after this point (90 min at 24°C), no further slowing of dissociation occurs. Comparable results were seen at 37°C, and at either temperature essentially 100% of the bound insulin eventually dissociates from the cells. Thus, no tendency for irreversible binding was observed. Similar results were obtained with isolated plasma membranes, and a variety of inhibitors of cell functions failed to influence the time-dependent slowing of dissociation. This suggests that the processes responsible for the changes in dissociation rate are independent of intracellular factors and are inherent in the plasma membrane. The results are compatible with the concept that insulin initially binds to a low affinity (fast dissociating) receptor and that a minority of these complexes are then converted to a high affinity (slow dissociating) state by a time-dependent process. The relationship of the above phenomenon to insulin degradation was examined by assessing the chemical nature of the radioactive material bound to the cells at different times of association and by measuring dissociation of both intact and degraded insulin. The results indicate that only intact insulin dissociates from the low affinity (fast dissociating) state of the receptor. In contrast, once the high affinity complexes are formed, both intact and degraded material can slowly dissociate. Insulin bound to the high affinity (slow dissociating) state of the receptor is a direct and efficient substrate for the insulin-degrading system. However, when insulin degradation was completely blocked by the sulfhydrylagent n-ethyl maleimide, the time-dependent slowing of dissociation of intact insulin was unaffected. Thus, development of the slow-dissociating state of the insulin receptor complex mediates cellular insulin degradation, but the process of insulin degradation is not necessary for the development of the slow-dissociating state of the insulin receptor complex. In conclusion: (a) A time-dependent slowing of the overall insulin dissociation rate was observed as the length of the association phase increased; however, no tendency toward irreversible binding of insulin to adipocytes was observed under any conditions, (b) This phenomenon is independent of a number of intracellular processes studied and is inherent in the plasma membrane, (c) The receptors to which insulin is bound early in the association phase do not degrade insulin, and, in fact, they protect the hormone from destruction, whereas a portion of the receptors to which insulin is bound late in the association phase mediate insulin degradation, (d) The data are consistent with the concept that insulin initially binds to a low affinity cell surface receptor and that some portions of these complexes are converted to a high affinity form by a time-dependent plasma membrane-associated process. The low affinity receptors have a rapid dissociation rate, are of high capacity, and do not degrade insulin. The high affinity receptors have a slow dissociation rate, are of low capacity, and mediate insulin degradation.


Large scale installation commissioned by invitation by ArtAngel. Filmed on location in Tanzania and UK.

Conceived specially for an arresting 19th century corrugated iron chapel in Kilburn, known locally as The Tin Tabernacle, Nowhere Less Now, was an ambitious installation by British artist Lindsay Seers. It is being exhibited internationally.

From the unlikely connections between the chapel, the birth of her great great uncle, George Edwards, the birth of Mina Bergson, artist and sister of French philosopher Henri Bergson, and her own birth exactly 100 years later to the day, Seers has created a journey across time. Entangling global histories with intimate stories, the work explores image-making mediums, sea-faring and migration.

One event leads to another in a world where coincidence takes on the character of necessity. The unfurling narratives project forward as well as backwards, from the present to a future when dates have become irrelevant and photography redundant.

The discovery by Seers of a family photograph of great great uncle Edwards, taken whilst serving with the British navy in Zanzibar, took her in his wake to the islands off Africa's east coast. Many things came to the surface in this archipelago, considered to be the seat of witchcraft in East Africa; from an Arab princess and a young English sailor drifting in the currents of Empire, to an inscription on a centuries old Baobab tree.

Combining photography, performance, video and animation, Nowhere Less Now is symptomatic of Seers' relentless search for truths that remain elusive as they slip through the lens.

Nowhere Less Now is commissioned and produced by Artangel with the Sharjah Art Foundation and MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Hobart, Australia. The presentation in London was supported by The Henry Moore Foundation. Nowhere Less Now is included in The Artangel Collection.


In the awake, normal subject, infusions of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) alter the ventilatory response to CO2. If this effect extends to the sleep state, it could contribute to our understanding of the neurophysiology of the sleep state as well as having clinical utility in ameliorating or preventing apnea syndromes. This study examined the effect of nocturnal BCAA infusions on sleep patterns (as measured by EEG, chest wall motion, Sao, and end‐tidal CO2) in five normal male subjects. Subjects were monitored with a polysomnograph from 21.00 to 7.00. Each subject was studied double‐blind in random order on three occasions: a) baseline, no infusion (B); b) control, with normal saline infusion (S); and c) treatment, infusion of BCAA (BCAA). Sleep pattern analysis did not demonstrate any measurable effect of the BCAA infusion. End‐tidal CO2 levels during BCAA infusion were lower than during baseline or control nights (meank ± s.d.; BCAA: 5.8 ± 0.7 kPa vs B: 6.9 ± 0.1 kPa, P< 0.01 and S: 6.7 ± 0.4 kPa, P< 0.05). This study demonstrates that nocturnal BCAA infusions have effects on respiratory control during sleep; further clinical studies are required to determine whether these data have implications for disease states.


This paper presents a systematic method to select optimal electroencephalography (EEG) channels for three mental tasks-based brain-computer interface (BCI) classification. A blind source separation (BSS) technique based on independent component analysis (ICA) with its back-projecting of the scalp map was used for selecting the optimal EEG channels. The three mental tasks included: mental letter composing, mental arithmetic and mental Rubik's cube rolling. Based on a power spectral density (PSD), the features of the two-channel EEG data were extracted, and then were classified by Bayesian neural network. The results of the ICA decomposition with the back-projected scalp map showed that the prominent channels could be selected for dominant features from original six EEG channels (C3, C4, P3, P4, O1, O2) to four dominant channels (P3, O1, C4, O2) with the best two EEG channels selection at O1&C4. Two channel combinations classification yielded to the best two EEG channels of O1&C4 with an accuracy of 76.4%, followed by P3&O2 with an accuracy of 74.5%; P3&C4 with an accuracy of 71.9% and O1&O2 with an accuracy of 70%.


Homogeneity analysis combines the idea of maximizing the correlations between variables of a multivariate data set with that of optimal scaling. In this article we present methodological and practical issues of the R package homals which performs homogeneity analysis and various extensions. By setting rank constraints nonlinear principal component analysis can be performed. The variables can be partitioned into sets such that homogeneity analysis is extended to nonlinear canonical correlation analysis or to predictive models which emulate discriminant analysis and regression models. For each model the scale level of the variables can be taken into account by setting level constraints. All algorithms allow for missing values.


STUDY DESIGN
Clinical measurement, technical note.

OBJECTIVES
To describe a technique to measure interspinous process distance using ultrasound (US) imaging, to assess the reliability of the technique, and to compare the US imaging measurements to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements in 3 different positions of the lumbar spine.

BACKGROUND
Segmental spinal motion has been assessed using various imaging techniques, as well as surgically inserted pins. However, some imaging techniques are costly (MRI) and some require ionizing radiation (radiographs and fluoroscopy), and surgical procedures have limited use because of the invasive nature of the technique. Therefore, it is important to have an easily accessible and inexpensive technique for measuring lumbar segmental motion to more fully understand spine motion in vivo, to evaluate the changes that occur with various interventions, and to be able to accurately relate the changes in symptoms to changes in motion of individual vertebral segments.

METHODS
Six asymptomatic subjects participated. The distance between spinous processes at each lumbar segment (L1-2, L2-3, L3-4, L4-5) was measured digitally using MRI and US imaging. The interspinous distance was measured with subjects supine and the lumbar spine in 3 different positions (resting, lumbar flexion, and lumbar extension) for both MRI and US imaging. The differences in distance from neutral to extension, neutral to flexion, and extension to flexion were calculated.

RESULTS
The measurement methods had excellent reliability for US imaging (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC3,3] = 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.85, 0.97) and MRI (ICC3,3 = 0.98; 95% confidence interval: 0.95, 0.99). The distance measured was similar between US imaging and MRI (P>.05), except at L3-4 flexion-extension (P = .003). On average, the MRI measurements were 1.3 mm greater than the US imaging measurements.

CONCLUSION
This study describes a new method for the measurement of lumbar spine segmental flexion and extension motion using US imaging. The US method may offer an alternative to other imaging techniques to monitor clinical outcomes because of its ease of use and the consistency of measurements compared to MRI.


The Modelica and FMI tool ecosystem is growing each year with new tools and methods becoming available. The open Modelica standard promises portability but it is important to ensure that a certain model behaves the same in different Modelica tools or in a different version of the same tool. It is also very important (for model evolution) to check that a new version of the same model produces comparable results. Finally, it is desirable to verify that a model exported in FMU form from a Modelica tool gives exactly the same results as the original model. This paper presents a framework for automatic regression testing as part of PySimulator which provides an efficient and concise way of testing if a model or a range of models behaves in the same way in several tools or versions of a tool by checking that the results produced are essentially identical. The FMI standard has been adopted by many tool vendors and is growing in popularity each year. This paper proposes a concept for building and simulating a system made from connected FMUs generated by different tools. The FMUs for Co-Simulation can be connected together using a GUI. The system model built graphically in this way can be saved for later use or simulated directly inside PySimulator. Active development is going on to support simulation of connected FMUs for Model Exchange.


Despite the intensive focus and resources devoted to recruitment and retention of female engineering students over the past several decades, women remain underrepresented in the field of engineering. Although recent global trends reveal an increase in women enrolling in engineering, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) women are still a minority amongst engineering students, mainly because until recently engineering programmes were not accessible to female Emirati students. However, with the establishment of several engineering-only institutions and the launch of single-gender engineering programmes, female Emirati students are gradually entering this non-traditional academic and career path. This article is based on a study conducted at the Petroleum Institute, where seventy-five undergraduate female engineering students participated in the study. The aim of this research study was to identify factors that influence Emirati female students' decision to study engineering.


We processed and inverted converted-wave data acquired during the low-frequency shoot at Hussar, Alberta in September, 2011. The two datasets we selected were generated from dynamite and low-dwell vibroseis sources and were recorded on 3C 10 Hz geophones. The data processing included radial filtering and Gabor deconvolution. The stacked dynamite and vibroseis data both show strong converted-wave reflections. Receiver statics were derived successfully by flattening an horizon picked on a stack of receiver gathers. Comparison of the stack of vibroseis data obtained through conventional NMO, common conversion point (CCP) stack and post-stack migration and the equivalent offset migration (EOM) stack of the same data show that the EOM method successfully produced a stack of comparable quality. The converted-wave velocity model derived through common scatter point analysis was similar to that obtained through semblance analysis of common conversion point gathers. Thus, EOM shows considerable promise as a method for converted-wave data velocity estimation and migration. Joint PP-PS model-based inversion was only partially successful. The character ties between the migrated PS data and well data were not easy to make and the registration of the PP and PS data shows that the character match between the two datasets is poor. However, since we clearly have converted-wave data in this area, the dataset will be useful for testing converted-wave processing procedures such as velocity determination, statics estimation and migration, and PP-PS data matching and registration.


The rise of nationalism in the early twentieth century, in the build-up to the world wars, was contemporaneous with unprecedented upheavals in literature, particularly the advent of modernism. Then, ethno-symbolic nationalism was theorized by Anthony D. Smith. This approach relies on the myths, memories, symbols and values of a nation to try to surpass the divergence and "polarization between primordialism and modernism" (Ozkirimli, 2000, p.168). It also enables readers to perceive the importance of memories, myths and symbols and makes them realize the common roots and backgrounds that lead to the affinity and cohesion of nation-members. Studies such as The Ethnic Origins of Nations (1986), Nation and Ethnoscape (1997), The Nation in History (2000) and The Antiquity Of Nations (2000), all emphasized the historical/cultural images, myths, symbols and memories of each nation as opposed to the modernist nationalists or primordialsits - who accentuate the concept of the nation-state or geography.
This recent ethno-symbolic approach created new possibilities on the analysis of literary studies. Having been adopted by many theorists to refine the concept of nationalism and analyse the process of the formation of nationhood, the ethno-symbolic approach has been chiefly involved with political theory. It is very rarely discussed or applied in the field of art and literature.
Building on the literature from the birth of modernism (Joyce and Jamalzadeh) and later modernism (Woolf and Hedayat), my thesis aims to take the ethno-symbolic nationalism and apply it to literary texts from the early twentieth century to explore the creation and critique of national identities through literature. It also aims to critique literary scholars' traditional understanding of nationalism. Texts like The Blind Owl, Between the Acts, Dubliners and Once Upon A Time are made up of images, symbols, myths and figurative events that subject traditional nationalisms to ethno-symbolic critique


Agricultural policies adopted by developed countries are considered distortional and detrimental to less developed countries (LDCs). This paper discusses the adverse impacts on less developed countries of the agricultural support regimes of the European Union (EU) and the United States (US). Despite the fact that the budget for agriculture in these constituencies has the same order of magnitude, we find that the EU relies much more heavily on agricultural support than does the US. Specifically, the EU provides agricultural producers with an amount of support that is about two-and-a-half times that of the US, and for most commodities a larger share of farmers' income stems from support measures as well. While the composition of producer support differs between the EU and US, the per-dollar negative impact of the policies on farmers in LDCs is about equal. Finally, we analyse the medium-term impact of the 2003 reform of common agricultural policy in the EU. We estimate the reform will lead to a reduction of EU producer support of 20 percent by 2013 and will reduce the per-dollar negative impact on LDCs of the policy as well.


To live a healthy life, people all around the world need access to safe water. A lot of industries,together with the fast growing population in Blantyre, a city in southern Malawi, pose a threat to theaccess of safe water for the citizens. Several of the industries in Blantyre release contaminated waterto the nearby streams. One serious pollutant emitted from a match factory is chromium (Cr),especially in the occurrence of Cr(VI) which is carcinogenic for humans. Earlier studies have shownthat the concentration of chromium in the match factory's wastewater was higher than WHO:sguidelines. It has also been published that natural clay minerals can be used for adsorption of Cr(III).This study investigates the removal of Cr(VI) through the adsorption of Cr(VI) to clay minerals or byreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) which is precipitated from solution.The laboratory work performed in this study includes both experiments for adsorption of Cr(VI) andreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). The reducing agents investigated were two clays and Fe(II) sulfate. Foradsorption of negatively charged Cr(VI) compounds, the two clays where used at lower pH and themineral bauxite was also tried as adsorbent agent. Wastewater from the match factory was dilutedand mixed with the removal agents and the concentration of total chromium was measured beforeand after the mixing process. For the agent with highest potential for Cr(VI) removal, the optimalconditions due to pH, dosage of agents and contact time were inspected.None of the investigated reducing agents served its purpose which means that no Cr(VI) was reducedto Cr(III) in this study. The adsorption of Cr(VI) with clay 1 at lower pH was also not successful, butthe adsorption worked for clay 2 at lower pH and for bauxite. In the experiments bauxite adsorbed ahigher amount of Cr(VI) than clay 2. The adsorption with bauxite turned out to be independent interms of pH. The optimal conditions for bauxite in the experiments were with a dosage of 3.5 gbauxite in 50 mL wastewater and a contact time of 40 minutes. The results showed an adsorption of93 percent of total chromium with bauxite at optimal conditions.


Inert gas assisted laser cutting of 10 mm stainless steel plate and 4 mm aluminum sheet was performed with a 5 kW fiber laser. The effects of laser power, cutting speed, focal point position, and assist gas pressure on the cutting performance and cut quality were investigated. Clean cut surfaces without or with minimal dross were achieved with some combinations of process parameters and attempts were made to define parameter windows in terms of cutting speed and laser power for good quality cutting. The maximum cutting speeds for acceptable cut quality were determined at different power levels. The range at which complete through cutting could be achieved (so-called parameter window) was limited upwards by insufficient power intensity to obtain through cutting at high cutting speeds and downwards by heat conduction at slow cutting speeds. The effects of focal point position and assist gas pressure on the striation pattern (cut surface roughness) were also examined. Low surface roughness was achieved with the focal point position inside the workpiece showing the need for a wider kerf for better melt ejection in thick-section metal cutting. There was also a reduction in surface roughness with increase in assist gas pressure, but there was no significant reduction in surface roughness above the gas pressure of 16 bar, which could be due to the gas flow dynamics inside the narrow cut kerf at high assist-gas pressures.


lytic streptococcus. He informed me that it had been shown by biochemists that the vulnerability of the red blood corpuscle to S. haentolyticus was increased by the predominance of dextrose molecules in the plasma, but diminished by the predominance of protein molecules. Acting upon this assumption, he recommended that my patient, who was being saturated with glucose lemonade, should be transferred to -a diet composed principally of beef tea, meat juices, egg flips, and plasmon. This was done with admirable results. Since that time it has been my practice to put every case of acute infection bythe haemolytic streptococcus upon a liquid diet of high protein content, and the results have been uniformly satisfactory; nor has there been any case of nephritis. Since the incidence of infections by haemolytic streptococcus is relatively high among children attending public schools, it may perhaps be useful to revise our old-established idea of the universal value of glucose in all acute infectious fevers.-I am, etc.,


BACKGROUND Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a significant cause of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. The nonsuppurative cardiovascular sequel of group A streptococcal infection is sustained inflammatory and immune reactions toward the myocardium and valves. This study attempted to determine the long-term outcome of heart transplantation in endstage RHD patients.Methods and Results:The 23 patients with endstage RHD at National Taiwan University Hospital between June 1987 and March 2012 were enrolled. In the same period, 226 dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients were enrolled as the control group. The RHD group experienced more right ventricular failure and higher central venous pressure than the control group, which resulted in impaired liver and kidney function. The RHD patients had a lower 15-year survival rate than the DCM patients after transplantation (22.7% vs. 45.7%, P=0.038) and higher incidence of tricuspid regurgitation than the control group (32.2% vs. 11.4%). No differences existed between the groups for the mitral regurgitation rate (RHD 37.7% vs. DCM 29.4%, P=0.562). CONCLUSIONS Preoperatively, the RHD patients suffered more tricuspid regurgitation than the control group. The aortic and mitral valves in both groups functioned well over the long term. Heart transplantation for endstage RHD had a long-term survival rate that was inferior to that for DCM patients.


Region duplication is a simple and effective operation to create digital image forgeries, where a continuous portion of pixels in an image, after possible geometrical and illumination adjustments, are copied and pasted to a different location in the same image. Most existing region duplication detection methods are based on directly matching blocks of image pixels or transform coefficients, and are not effective when the duplicated regions have geometrical or illumination distortions. In this work, we describe a new region duplication detection method that is robust to distortions of the duplicated regions. Our method starts by estimating the transform between matched scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) keypoints, which are insensitive to geometrical and illumination distortions, and then finds all pixels within the duplicated regions after discounting the estimated transforms. The proposed method shows effective detection on an automatically synthesized forgery image database with duplicated and distorted regions. We further demonstrate its practical performance with several challenging forgery images created with state-of-the-art tools.


Many new software development practices, tools, and techniques have been introduced in recent years. Few, however, have been empirically evaluated. The objectives of this study were to measure technology use in a production environment, develop a statistical model for evaluating the effectiveness of technologies, and evaluate the effects of some specific technologies on productivity and reliability. A carefully matched sample of 22 projects from the Software Engineering Laboratory database was studied using an analysis-of-covariance procedure. Limited use of the technologies considered in the analysis produced approximately a 30 percent increase in software reliability. These technologies did not demonstrate any direct effect on development productivity.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is complicated by the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and the tendency to rely on empirical therapy. This study investigated the etiologic agents of adult CAP in Taiwan and the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from these patients.

METHODS
A collaborative group was established in the emergency department to conduct a prospective study of the etiology of adult CAP. The etiologic agent was determined by a combination of microscopic, culture, serologic and antigen detection methods. Pneumococcal susceptibility testing was performed to determine the extent of penicillin resistance.

RESULTS
A total of 100 consecutive cases of mild to moderate adult CAP prior to the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic were enrolled. The etiologic agent was determined in 72% of cases. The 5 most common causative pathogens were S. pneumoniae (26%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (20%), Chlamydia pneumoniae (13%), Haemophilus influenzae (9%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (5%). Atypical pathogens accounted for 40% of CAP. Bacteremic pneumonia was diagnosed in 6.2% of cases. Co-infections with 2 or more pathogens were found in 16% of the cases. Among the 20 isolates of S. pneumoniae, 85% (17/20) were susceptible to penicillin, 3 (15%) were intermediate, and none were resistant to penicillin.

CONCLUSION
S. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae were the 3 leading causes of mild to moderate CAP in Taiwan. This study indicates that penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae play a very limited role in this condition in adults.


Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer and two vaccines are recommended for routine use among females ages 11–12 years with catch-up through age 26. Reducing disparities in cervical cancer will depend on achieving adequate vaccine coverage among racial and ethnic minorities and low-income women. The purpose of this analysis was to describe racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in HPV vaccine coverage and identify barriers to catch-up vaccination. Methods Telephone interviews were conducted among women diagnosed with precancerous cervical lesions and reported to the CT Department of Public Health for routine surveillance during 2008–2010. The sample consisted of 269 women ages 18–27 years (age-eligible for catch-up vaccination after licensure) including 77% white, 15% black, and 17% Hispanic; median age was 23 years. Results Overall, 43% of women reported having received ≥1 dose of HPV vaccine (mean age at vaccination 22 years). Publicly insured and uninsured women were significantly less likely than privately insured women to have received vaccine (23% and 15% vs 52%, p<0.05 for both), and black women were marginally less likely to receive vaccine compared to white women (31% vs 48%, p=0.06). There was no significant difference for ethnicity. The most common self-reported barrier to vaccination was lack of provider recommendation (25%). Other common self-reported reasons were previous HPV diagnosis (20%) and being too old (15%). Women who did not discuss HPV vaccine with a provider were more likely to have not received vaccine compared to women who discussed vaccine (95% vs 44%, p<0.001) see Abstract P1-S6.43 Figure 1. Abstract P1-S6.43 Figure 1 Self-reported barriers to hpv vaccination among women with precancerous cervical lesions (n=152). Conclusions Provider interventions may be necessary to assure catch-up vaccine is offered to eligible women. A common reported barrier was being too old, yet all women in this sample were age-eligible for vaccination. Previous HPV infection was another common barrier, yet this is not a contraindication for vaccination to protect against infection from other HPV types. In particular, greater efforts are required to administer catch-up vaccine to low-income and black women. Providing vaccine for underinsured women in this age group will be a challenge because they are not eligible for some state or federal vaccination programs (eg, Vaccines For Children).


Pendant drops suspended on the underside of a wet substrate are known to accumulate fluid from the surrounding thin liquid film, a process that often results in dripping. The growth of such drops is hastened by their ability to translate over an otherwise uniform horizontal film. Here we show that this scenario is surprisingly reversed when the substrate is slightly tilted (≈2°); drops become too fast to grow and shrink over the course of their motion. Combining experiments and numerical simulations, we rationalize the transition between the conventional growth regime and the previously unknown decay regime we report. Using an analytical treatment of the Landau-Levich meniscus that connects the drop to the film, we quantitatively predict the drop dynamics in the two flow regimes and the value of the critical inclination angle where the transition between them occurs.


Although the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors, some effects of glucocorticoids occur in the absence of DNA binding and without requiring glucocorticoid-stimulated gene expression. Bruna et al. show that the glucocorticoids stimulate a direct interaction (coimmunoprecipitation and glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays) between the GR and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which decreased the interaction between JNK and its activating kinase MKK7. A mitogen-activated protein kinase docking motif in the ligand-binding domain of GR, a sequence that is uniquely present in the GR out of all of the other members of the nuclear receptor family, was responsible for the ligand-stimulated disruption of interaction of GR and JNK. Mutants of the GR that could not interact with JNK did not mediate glucocorticoid inhibition of JNK protein kinase activity stimulated by tumor necrosis factor-α. Mutants of the GR that could not dimerize (GRdim) or be transported to the nucleus (and were thus inactive for stimulation of gene expression) still interacted with JNK and inhibited its kinase activity in the cytoplasm. However, interaction with the GR normally stimulates nuclear accumulation of JNK. Indeed, association of inactive GR-associated JNK with the c-jun promoter appears to contribute to the inhibition of the function of the transcription factor AP-1. Thus, inhibition of JNK signaling by glucocorticoids appears to be mediated in the cytosol through a direct interaction with the GR, and subsequent translocation of inactive JNK to the nucleus by association with the GR may contribute to gene transrepression activity. A. Bruna, M. Nicolàs, A. Muñoz, J. M. Kyriakis, C. Caelles, Glucocorticoid receptor-JNK interaction mediates inhibition of the JNK pathway by glucocorticoids. EMBO J. 22, 6035-6044 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The lack of standardized criteria and methodologies to assess dementia in patients with Parkinson's disease has resulted in inconsistencies and controversies in the literature regarding the incidence and basis of this condition. The authors examined a large group of patients with Parkinson's disease using two standardized sets of criteria for dementia. The neuropsychological data obtained was analyzed using stepwise discriminant analysis, and a brief scale was developed. The results indicated that a regression equation derived from just three neuropsychological procedures (which take only 10 minutes to administer) provides maximum discrimination between patients originally classified as demented or non-demented according to standardized criteria. Cut-off values for the product of the regression equation were calculated to accurately and reliably classify patients using the brief scale.


The 'cohesion' countries of the European Union face intimidating challenges in meeting the greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Luxembourg Agreement. It requires breaking the link between increasing gross domestic product per capita and rising energy consumption at an early stage in the economic development cycle. Since the 1990 base year, Ireland has had the highest rate of economic growth in the EU and, therefore, has the most daunting task in staying within the limits of the Agreement. In addition, with regard to acidification (triggered by emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)), Ireland has new commitments under the recently agreed Gothenburg Protocol. The Irish quotas require substantial reductions in emissions from current (1998) levels, specifically, 71% for SO2 and 44% for NOx. This paper examines the potential reduction in emissions that could be achieved by a programme to improve energy conservation in the residential sector. The economic value of such reductions is examined and the contribution that such a programme can make to assist Ireland in meeting its obligations under the Luxembourg Agreement and the Gothenburg Protocol is explored. The results show that the reduction in emissions from such a programme would be of considerable economic value. In addition, they would account for over one-third of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required under the Luxembourg Agreement and 15% of the reduction in SO2 and 11% of the likely reduction in NOx under the Gothenburg Protocol. It would also have the beneficial side-effect of achieving a small reduction in particulate matter. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment


This policy brief is one of a new series to meet the needs of policy-makers and health system managers. The aim is to develop key messages to support evidence-informed policy-making. The 2008 Tallinn Charter: Health Systems for Health and Wealth recognized that investing in health means investing in human development, social well-being and wealth. It stated that 'health systems are more than health care and include disease prevention, health promotion and efforts to influence other sectors to address health concerns in their policies'. Ten years on, investment in health promotion and disease prevention activities, at least within the health sector, remains stubbornly low in many countries. For instance, OECD countries typically allocate between 2% and 4% of total health sector spending to these activities. Moreover, between 2009/2010 and 2012/2013 on average spending fell in real terms and still in 2014/2015 was only growing at around 2% per annum, a rate that is much lower than before the onset of the global economic crisis. There are many different reasons for this, but undoubtedly some budget holders in health systems are sceptical about the case for focusing more on public health, contending that there is insufficient evidence available to justify such an investment. In this policy brief we argue that this scepticism about the evidence is overstated. Moreover, the existing evidence base can in fact be adapted to be useful in many different systems and country contexts across the WHO European Region.


Limited data exist on the predisposition for an early trajectory of cardiovascular (CV) disease in adolescents with diabetes. We explored the effects of types of diabetes and sociodemographic factors (i.e., race, gender, income level, family structure) on the following CV risks: glucose control (A1c), blood pressure (BP), and lipid profile. Adolescents with type 1 DM (T1DM) or type 2 DM (T2DM) participated: 109 with T1DM and 42 with T2DM. The general linear model was used to examine the influence of type of DM, sociodemographic factors, and the interaction of type of DM and the sociodemographic factors on CV risks. Systolic and diastolic BP were increased in youth with T2DM versus T1DM. Non-Hispanic Blacks had a higher A1c and resting diastolic BP than non-Hispanic Whites. Lower income was also associated with higher resting diastolic BP. Males with T1DM had higher A1c, whereas females with T2DM had higher A1c. With low income, individuals with T1DM had higher A1c values than those with T2DM; those with high income and T2DM had higher A1c than those with T1DM. Adolescents with T1DM from single, divorced, or separated families had higher average A1c values. In comparison, those with T2DM from married families had higher A1c values. Triglycerides were increased for those with T2DM, with the greatest amount for Hispanics as compared with non-Hispanic Blacks. In summary, minority status, lower income, and family structure may have a greater impact on vulnerability for poor outcomes in adolescents with DM, regardless of the type of the disease.


The common use of IP networking structures implies the increasing demand of resources by users and applications. For this reason, organizations must guarantee adequate conditions for critical traffic. To face this problem, network administrators constantly need to make decisions regarding this situation by means of using different strategies and tools of Quality of Service (QoS), such as Traffic Control (TC). Such decisions can be modeled by a decision support system that handles subjective information about decision maker's perceptions. This information involves uncertainty and requires precise evaluation of traffic quality demanded. Subjectivity is modeled by using linguistic information (LI) in order to choose adequate solution to networking performance problems. This paper proposes a Multi-Expert (ME) Multi-Criteria (MC) Linguistic Decision Making (LDM) Model for TC in networking. Finally, an application example to show the model's benefits is presented.


Determination of specific Glioblastoma (GBM) biomarkers could be beneficial in developing new therapeutics, monitoring the response to therapy or for early detection of recurrence. Downregulation and tumor suppressor effect of Arlts1 (ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene) could be shown in different familiar and sporadic cancers but has not yet been examined in GBM. The examination of Arlts1 in GBM cells is the main objective of this study.
U87MG glioblastoma cell line was transfected with wildtype-Arlts1. Annexin V and Propidium iodide staining was used to determine cell death by flow cytometry. The expression levels of pro-apoptotic (Caspases), anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) genes and the Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 were examined by qRT-PCR. Western Blot was used to evaluate qRT-PCR results on protein level and zymography to reveal activity of MMPs. A migration assay was performed.
Cell death rate of GBM cells transfected with the wildtype Arlts1 was not detected. Furthermore, these cells showed no differences in apoptosis compared to control; there was no significant increase of Caspase 3, 7 or 9. Surprisingly, the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 was significantly reduced in U87MG cells overexpressing Arlts1. Since Bcl-2 is also involved in migration of tumors, expression of MMP 2 and 9 as markers for migration were also determined. The expression level of these matrix metalloproteinases was significantly decreased. The decrease activity of these enzymes could not be detected either using zymography and migration assay.
In summary, as a consequence of Artls1 overexpression, Bcl-2, MMP2 and 9 level decreased. Considering already known connection between Bcl-2 expression and invasiveness of GBM, this result would suggest a role of Arlts1 in migration and invasiveness of the tumor. The further experiments, including measurement of different time points in migration assay using a stable transfected cell line, should be performed.


This article investigates the profitability of price-based momentum strategies in the Asian markets. The authors find that unrestricted momentum strategies are not profitable. Using the benchmark 6-month formation period/6 month holding period strategy, the authors find that although returns are in the expected direction (i.e., past winners outperform past losers), they are not statistically significant. In addition, the statistical significance is not improved when the authors control for size and country effects. Interestingly, fourteen of the sixteen trading strategies generate unexpected negative returns, suggesting that past losers outperform past winners. In ten of these fourteen cases, the returns generated are statistically significant. The authors' results represent challenges to those researchers trying to reconcile within a unified framework short-term momentum and long-term overreaction in equity markets. t


Background Depressive symptoms are prominent psychopathological features of Huntington's disease (HD), making a negative impact on social functioning and well-being. Method We compared the frequencies of a history of depression, previous suicide attempts and current subthreshold depression between 61 early-stage HD participants and 40 matched controls. The HD group was then split based on the overall HD group's median Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-depression score into a group of 30 non-depressed participants (mean 0.8, s.d. = 0.7) and a group of 31 participants with subthreshold depressive symptoms (mean 7.3, s.d. = 3.5) to explore the neuroanatomy underlying subthreshold depressive symptoms in HD using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Results Frequencies of history of depression, previous suicide attempts or current subthreshold depressive symptoms were higher in HD than in controls. The severity of current depressive symptoms was also higher in HD, but not associated with the severity of HD motor signs or disease burden. Compared with the non-depressed HD group DTI revealed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula and cerebellum of the HD group with subthreshold depressive symptoms. In contrast, VBM measures were similar in both HD groups. A history of depression, the severity of HD motor signs or disease burden did not correlate with FA values of these regions. Conclusions Current subthreshold depressive symptoms in early HD are associated with microstructural changes – without concomitant brain volume loss – in brain regions known to be involved in major depressive disorder, but not those typically associated with HD pathology.


This research note discusses issues with translation of non-English text during qualitative analysis in tourism research using examples from the newly emergent phenomenon of Chinese working holidaymakers in New Zealand. In particular, this note highlights an additional translation step in the thematic analysis process with non-English interview quotes and excerpts. This note argues the merit of researchers' dual role as researcher/translator and discusses how researchers can undertake translation in cross-language research to maintain the rigour of qualitative tourism research.


A growing number of countries regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions occurring within their borders, but due to rapid growth in international trade, the products consumed in many of the same countries increasingly rely on coal, oil and gas extracted and burned in other countries where CO2 is not regulated. As a consequence, existing national and regional climate policies may be growing less effective every year. Furthermore, countries that are dependent on imported products or fossil fuels are more exposed to energy and climate policies in other countries. We show that the combined international trade in carbon (as fossil fuels and also embodied in products) increased from 12.3 GtCO2 (55% of global emissions) in 1997 to 17.6 GtCO2 (60%) in 2007 (growing at 3.7% yr−1). Within this, trade in fossil fuels was larger (10.8 GtCO2 in 2007) than trade in embodied carbon (6.9 GtCO2), but the latter grew faster (4.6% yr−1 compared with 3.1% yr−1 for fuels). Most major economies demonstrate increased dependence on traded carbon, either as exports or as imports. Because energy is increasingly embodied in internationally traded products, both as fossil fuels and as products, energy and climate policies in other countries may weaken domestic climate policy via carbon leakage and mask energy security issues.


This study presents the design and multi-physics finite element analysis of a novel hydraulically amplified dielectric elastomer actuator (HADEA). The design was optimized for additive manufacturing and consists of a hyper-elastic silicone toroidal shell enclosing a dielectric liquid filled chamber and a pair of elastic annular electrodes partially covering the opposing actuator surfaces. Application of voltage on electrodes leads the central region of the HADEA to be compressed due to the induced Maxwell stress. Consequently, the peripheral region of the HADEA is axially expanded by the pressurized dielectric liquid.
 The finite element modeling and analysis that couples the structural, electrostatic, and fluid-structure interaction effects in the model is presented. We investigated the effect of two geometric parameters, the electrode size relative to the actuator diameter and the height of the actuator, on the actuation stroke of HADEAs. Numerical results showed actuation strains up to 63.1% while maintaining the electrodes' voltage in instrument range. The proposed design shows promising potential for the application of HADEAs in bio-mechanical systems, soft robots, and co-robots capable of human interaction.


Background: Bleeding due to rupture of esophageal varices is one of main cause of death in liver cirrhosis, that endoscopy screening is recommended. However endoscopy is invasive and frequently cannot be performed due to contraindication, high-cost or uncomfortable effect to the patients, particularly on patients have not had any bleeding before. Consequently, it is necessary to find other assessment which can predict the presence of esophageal varices. Recent studies found liver stiffness measurement by the liver transient-elastography is one of non invasive measurement to evaluate liver fibrosis.This study was designed to know the correlation between degree of the esophageal varices and the degree of liver stiffness. Method : This was cross sectional study. Liver cirrhosis patients were consecutively enrolled in this study. They underwent endoscopy to determine esophageal varices and subsequently the liver transient- elastography by Fibroscan technique to determine liver stiffness. Degree of the esophageal varices based on OMED criteria. Liver stiffness are expressed in kilopascal (kPa). Correlation analysis was done to assess this study. Result: There were 13 subjects. Most subjectswere male, age > 50 years and Child-Pugh A or B. The mean value of liver stiffness was 35.55 ± 23.60 kPa and mean OMED was 5.61 ± 2.14. The coefficient correlation between degree esophageal varices and degree liver stiffnes was 0.492, p = 0.087. Conclusion : There is moderate correlation but not statistically significant between the degree of liver stiffness and the degree of esophageal varices. Larger sample size is necessary to find the correlation between the degree of liver stiffness and esophageal varices. Keywords: liver cirrhosis, degree of esophageal varices, liver stiffness


The broadcast performance of DGPS (differential global positioning systems)/radio beacons is studied. It is found that a combination of receiver limiting and forward error corrections is very effective against the atmospheric noise which characterizes the MF band. This combination significantly reduces the probability of bit error and the average time between differential updates. The authors compute the probability of link outage versus range, and find that forward error correction significantly increases DGPS/radio beacon coverage. It is found that groundwave/skywave interference slightly increases the probability of outage at moderate ranges. An estimate is made of the expected duration of outage for the DGPS/radio beacon signal. All results are based on analytical and experimental results. >


Musical acoustics is a diverse subject, connecting with many other areas of knowledge. Research workers studying topics in this field have difficulty in finding the information they need, because it is so extensive and scattered. This study aims to assist later workers by collecting, assessing and classifying the data. Using both traditional and computerised information-gathering techniques, a mass of data on publications in the field has been collected. It was initially recorded on handwritten index cards, and then transcribed on to punched cards. A system was devised whereby information about each publication could be stored in coded form on the cards, by notching appropriate punched holes. This information included the author and date of the publication, and an indication of the subject matter. Theoretical and practical aspects of the operation of punched card storage systems are assessed. A background survey of the physics of musical instruments helps to clarify the classification system adopted. Four classes of publication are defined, and a selection of the literature is analysed on this basis. Classified lists enable desired information to be located without difficulty. Using the punched cards, several major contributors to the field have been identified. Lists of their publications are presented, their work is summarised and its value assessed. Recent trends in the study of the field are traced, and possible lines of future progress indicated.


We study the quark mass expansion of the magnetic moments of the nucleon in a chiral effective field theory including nucleons, pions and delta resonances as explicit degrees of freedom. We point out that the usual powercounting applied so far to this problem misses important quark mass structures generated via an intermediate isovector M1 nucleon-delta transition. We propose a modified powercounting and compare the resulting chiral extrapolation function to available (quenched) lattice data. The extrapolation is found to work surprisingly well, given that the lattice data result from rather large quark masses. Our calculation raises the hope that extrapolations of lattice data utilizing chiral effective field theory might be applicable over a wider range in quark masses than previously thought, and we discuss some open questions in this context. Furthermore, we observe that within the current lattice data uncertainties the extrapolations presented here are consistent with the Pade fit ansatz introduced by the Adelaide group a few years ago. Suggested PACS numbers: Suggested


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of geographical location of public secondary schools to students" academic performance in Muleba District. The study involved three specific objectives; the first objective was to investigate the factors influencing students" academic performance in Muleba District. The second objective was to examine the effect of geographical location of schools to the students" academic performances and the last objective was to explore the strategies for improving students" academic performances. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as descriptive cross sectional survey were employed to make an investigation of the phenomenon. Data were collected from 193 respondents by using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings revealed that, the factors which influenced students" academic performance in Muleba District include peer group influence, family factor, school factor, parents socioeconomic background, school culture and learning facilities. Findings revealed that long distance that students moved from home to schools influences; dropout, absentees, early pregnancies which also affected students" academic performances. Moreover, the findings revealed that strategies for improving students" academic performance include; construction of hostel and dormitories, changing attitude of parents and students toward remote schools, resources should be balanced, policies should be stipulated clearly and provide food (meal) to students.The study concluded that distance results into negative impacts to the students" academic performances. This study suggests further research on the roles of geographical location of school to the effectiveness of teachers.